Acting VA secretary expected before House panel next week

Acting Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Sloan Gibson is expected to appear before the House committee of jurisdiction next week.

The House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing will take place Thursday at 9:30 a.m., a departure from the late prime-time hearings that began at 7:30 p.m.

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Gibson testified for the first time on Capitol Hill last week before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. He told senators that the VA needs $17.6 billion over the next three years to meet growing patient demand.

The acting VA secretary's appearance comes as House and Senate negotiators are ironing out differences on a measure to help reduce veterans' wait times for medical appointments.

On Wednesday, the House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on Iraq. Officials from the Departments of State and Department of Defense are slated to testify.

"This hearing will examine the reasons behind the administration’s decision not to adequately address this problem months ago and what it plans to do going forward," House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-Calif.) said in a statement.